Egland says heâ€™d support McClintock

Republican 4th Congressional District candidate Eric Egland said Tuesday that he would quit the race if state Sen. Tom McClintock steps in.
Egland's campaign issued a statement from Egland in support of McClintock. Egland is currently in Africa on military deployment.
I started this campaign because I wanted to offer ethical, conservative leadership that I believe is missing from Congress, Egland said. I cannot think of a person more qualified to carry that torch. He has proven to be a man of uncompromising principle and integrity throughout his years of public service.
McClintock, one of California's most high-profile conservative Republicans, was asked last week by the Journal whether he was considering a run for the Northern California seat, which includes Auburn. The questions followed a poll from McClintock supporters, which indicated he would receive widespread Republican support in an election.
Jennifer Cressy, press secretary for the Thousand Oaks senator, said at the moment, he's keeping his options open and hasn't made any decisions yet on calls from supporters urging him to run for a variety of offices.
Egland, a Roseville military security consultant, entered the race last summer, challenging U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, on ethics issues. Doolittle announced last month that he will not run for a 10th term, opening the 4th District race to more candidates. Former congressman Doug Ose of Sacramento and former state Sen. Rico Oller of San Andreas have announced they are in the race for the Republican nomination.
With two high-profile Republicans already in the race, Egland was already trailing in fund-raising, despite the head start.
The winner would likely face Democrat Charlie Brown, a retired Air Force officer who narrowly lost to Doolittle in 2006.
I enthusiastically encourage Senator McClintock to enter the race, Egland said. He is a true conservative who we can trust to represent us in Congress.
Egland campaign spokesman Bill George said that if McClintock stays out of the race, Egland will probably stay on.
Tom Hudson, Placer County Republican Central Committee chairman, said that the presence of two conservatives in the race would split the vote and allow Ose “ considered more moderate “ to win the GOP nomination.
There's unanimous agreement that there can't be multiple conservatives, Hudson said.
The Journal's Gus Thomson can be reached at , or post a comment at auburnjournal.com.